Wave-bath machine



are 1927 J. WANKO WAVE BATH MACHINE Filed May 1. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I IE 1 Inventnr' March 22 1927.

1,621,819 J. B. WANKO WAVE BATH MACHINE Filed May 1. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 J6 35 a0 :7 J2 3 :EIE 3 I I EI 4 Invent u r Patented Mar. 22, 1927.

JOHN B. WANKO, 0F SIOUX CITY, IGWA.

WAVE-BATH MACHINE.

Application filed May 1,

My invention relates to a device for bathing the human body.

The object of my invention in general is to provide a device in which a person may bathe without exerting any energy, and in which the water is so agitated around the body of the leather that a very soothing sensation will be experienced which will tend toward relaxation of the muscular and nervous system, while serving to wash foreign matter from the pores.

Another object is to provide in such a device a tub in which the person desiring to bathe may recline, together with means for producing longitudinal rocking wave motion of the water within the tub in such. a manner that the water will flow around the body of the person in a direction longitudinal of the tub, and also will rise and fall vertically around the body of the person.

More particularly my invention is embodied in a device employing an elongated tub, the ends of which are preferably curved in such a manner as to augment the abovedescribed wave motion, and which is providedwith an oscillated paddle, the lower end of which is immersed in the water of the tub, and separated from the body of the tub, by a partition which does not interfere with the wave motion produced, but allows the two bodies of water, which it separates, to move as a single unit.

With these and other objects in view, my

' invention consists in the construction, ar-

rangement and combination of the various parts of my device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical, longitudinal, sectional view through the tub, a person reclining therein being illustrated in dotted lines.

Fig.3 is a plan view of the invention, the motor casing being shown in section, and

Fig. 4 is a vertical, transverse, sectional view through the tub.

I have used the reference character 10, in Fig. 3, to indicate generally the wall of a room in which my invention is installed.

- gear, 18.

1926. Serial No. 106,173.

A casing, 11, is built into the wall, 10, and serves to house the motor apparatus, which I have indicated generally by the reference character, A.

The apparatus, A, includes a small electric motor, 12, the shaft of which carries a pinion, 13. A shaft, 14, is journalled in a bracket, 15, supported in the casing, 11, and

carries a gear, 16, and a pinion, 17. The

gear, 16, meshes with the pinion, 13, and the pinion, 17, in turn meshes with a gear, 18, supported on a shaft, 19, which is journalled also in the bracket, 15.

The. motor, 12, imparts rotation to the gear, 16, by means of the pinion, 13, and the gear, 16, then imparts rotation tothe shaft, 14, and to the pinion, 17 which drives the A crank arm, 20, is secured to the gear, 18,

and has a crank throw, 21, on which is journalled the end of the, arm, 22, of a pitman, B. The other end of the arm, 22, is slotted, as at 23, to receive bolts, 24, which secure it to the second arm, 25, of the pitman. The bolts, 24, and slot, 23, allow elongation or shortening of the pitman.

The tub 's indicated generally at C, and comprise the front side wall, 26, the rear side wall, 27, and the bottom, 28, which is curved upwardly and outwardly as at 29, and thence inwardly, as at 30, substantially as shown in Fig. 1, to form the end walls of the tub.

It will be understood that although a sheet metal tub is shown, the tub might beconstructed of wood, tile or cement and serve its function equally well.

Spaced from the wall, 27, is a sheet metal partition, 31, which is supported by brackets,

32 and 33, connecting the partition to the side wall, 27, and to the bottom of the tub, respectively.

A space is left between the edges of the partition and the bottom and end walls of the tub, as indicatedat 34. The purpose of so spacing the partition will be more fully explained hereinafter.

A pivot stud, 35, is secured. between the partition, 31, and the wall, 27, near the upper edge of the partition, and located substantially midway of the ends thereof.

A paddle, 36, is pivoted intermediate its r the pitma-n and thereby impart oscillating movement to the paddle. The lower end of the paddle will swing back and forth with apendulum action and the water which has beenindicated at 39 inFig. 2 will be caused to. rock back and forth longitudinally of the v tub in unison with the paddle.

The partition, 3l, does not interfere in the least withthe uniform movement of the water. Ihave found that by imparting-rocking motion to the small portion of the body of the water which rests between the partition andthewall, 27', a roc-kingmotion will be impartedto the remainder of the water body aseffectively asthough the paddle were located centrally between the sides of the tub.

The body of water might be further separated by the partition atthe bottom or the 'ends of the tub, and the same result still obtained, provided that suflicient connection was .maintained at either the ends or the bottom between the two sections of that body.

In producing my invention 1 had in mind eliminating as much as possible any splashingof thejwater, and I find that by curving thewa-lls as shown the impact of the waves against the end walls ofthe tub willbe less direct, and consequently there will be less tendency for the water'to break up at the crests of the swells which are produced alternately at the ends of the tub.

' It will be understood that waves are not produced such as the ordinary waves found on bodies of water exposed to the action of the wind, but that the entire body of water will. swingfrom end to end of the tub,"prol ducing alternate conditions wherein the water at one endof the tub is much higher than that at the other end, and vice versa. The; motion can be most aptly described by the use of the word rocking.

I find further that the curved ends of the tub tend to augment this rocking motion, whereas a tub provided with straight ends would. tendto break it up. This I attribute to the fact that the entire body of water movesback and forth, and in climbing above its normal level-at one end of the tub, the inclined plane offered bythe curved ends facilitates the raising of the water at that d) J' a V r i I. have shown in Fig 1.,in dotted lines, at 40, the body of a person reclining in the tub.

'Itwillbe seen that as the water rocks back and, are it will move past the body of the person in a direction longitudinally of the tub, and will alsomove vertically as the alternate conditions of depression and swell are produced in the water at the end of the tub wherein the shoulders and head of the person project from the water. If desired, the person may employ the end of the tub as a back rest, and in this position will obtain the greatest benefit from the wave motion produced, since the vertical motion is greatest at the: ends of the tub and practically nothing at the center of the tub.

In order to control the speed of the motor, 12, Lemploy a rheostat, 41, which is connected to the motor by means of wiring, 42, and to a switch, L3,,by means of wiring, M. The switch, 4-5, may be connected to a transformer orto an. ordinary lighting-circuit, 45.

Adjustment of the pitman, B, longitudinally will serve to vary the conditions of agitation of the water. For. instance, by lengthening the pitman the stroke. of. the paddle toward the right end of the tub. as shown in the drawings will be increased, and the stroke in theother direction decreased. This willjserve to increase somewhat the height to which the swell of water reaches at theright end of the tub.

The device as tested out has proved very beneficial to patients wishing to obtain abath under conditions ofrelaxation. As before stated, the action of the water tends toward relaxation of the muscular and nervous system and gives a soothing sensation while washing foreign matter from thepores of the bather, 7

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts ofmy invention without departing from the real spirit and purpose of my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claims any modified forms of structure or. use of mechanical equivalents, which may be reasonably included within their scope.

I claim as my invention:

1.. In a washing machine, a tub having sidewalls, a bottom and end walls, a partition spaced from one of the side walls to form alarge and small compartment, and having its edges spaced uniformly a sl ght d1stance from the bottom and side wallsso as to substantiallyform a complete side wall for the large compartment, and a paddle pivoted in the small compartment, said paddle having a, depending portion 7 adapted to swing longitudinally of the tub. and to transmit to water in the large compartment longitudinally rocking motion.

2'. In a washing machine, a tub having side walls, a bottom and end walls, a partition spaced from one of the side walls to form a large and small compartment, and havingits edges spaced uniformly a slight distance from the bottom and side walls so as to substantially form a complete side Wall for the large compartment, a paddle pivoted transmitting movement to said paddle, said in the small compartment, said paddle havpitman being extensible to Vary the relative 10 ing a depending port-ion adapted to swing lengths of swing of the paddle on either side longitudinally of the tub and to transmit to of a perpendicular position.

Water in the large compartment longitudi- Signed at Sioux City, in the county of nally rocking motion, a source of power havlVoodbury and State of Iowa, this 14th day ing a rotating crank shaft and a pitman conof January, 1926.

necting said crank shaft with the paddle for JOHN B. l/VANKO. 

